What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashby has the most affordable homes ($391k median).

Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Ashby	Brookline
People
Population	3,211Lowest	5,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.5±3Highest 30% above U.S.	41.2±1.5Lowest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	17%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.7%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	21.5%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	11.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	57.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookline and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$115,598±$9kLowest 43% above U.S.	$171,046±$4kHighest 112% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$390,500±$30kLowest 17% above U.S.	$544,400±$38kHighest 64% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,200±$484Lowest 15% below U.S.	$2,500±$1kHighest 77% above U.S.
	Brookline and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,034Lowest 93% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±53.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.8%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ashby and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	0.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	95.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 25% above U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	17.8%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brookline and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#200 of 282 in MA	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Brookline School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.